Case studies
A paper published in 2022 by Vianna et Al reports “the development and commissioning of the IRSN’s [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire] MIRCOM [Ion microbeam for radiation biology at the cellular and multicellular scales] facility designed for targeted irradiation of living biological samples with a focused ion microbeam extracted in air”.
This piece of research is fascinating due to the relevance of ion microbeams in research surrounding radiation biology and the risks of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation.
Silson’s 150nm thick, 1×1 mm^2 Si3N4 membranes were used to maintain the differential pressure between the vacuum and the beamline during the experiments because “It is thin and light enough to let MeV ions to pass through with a very small energy loss and acceptable scattering”
Follow this link to read more about IRSN’s MIRCOM !
